October 26, 2016

Mr./Mrs. President

1600 Pennsylvania Ave

Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr/Mrs. President:

First, allow me congratulate you on winning the election, I can't imagine how hard you had to work to win.Hi my name is Cole Banning and I'm a 8th grade student writing about a topic that I find quite crucial; the topic is kids playing violent video games that are rated a rating above their age.

First, he amount of violent video games that are out for sale is insane. This wouldn’t be a problem if only adults bought and played the games.The problem is that kids are playing these games and are thinking that the things in the game or ok to do in real life. There is broad consensus among medical associations, pediatricians, parents, and researchers that violent video games increase aggressive behavior. A 2014 study published in Psychology Of Popular Media Culture found the 90% of pediatricians and 67% of parents agreed that violent video games can increase violence among children. This is Unacceptable, 60% of middle school boys and 40% of middle school girls that played a M-rated game showed aggression towards others.Also, more than 98% of pediatricians in the U.S say that too much exposure to violent video games heightens childhood aggression.

Additionally kids and tenagers that played violent video games that involve guns, explosives, and objects that can be used to harm have been in school shootings or shootings in other buildings.For example, the teenage shooters in the 1999 Columbine High School massacre of 13 students played violent combat games. Another person that was playing violent video games was Anders Breivik, who killed 77 people in Norway and admitted to playing Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 2 ( a game with an abundance of shooting, killing and Strong Language).Another teen that was playing violent video games was James Holmes in the Aurora, Colorado movie theater shooting.

One last reason why violent video games should only be able to be played by the correct age is the way that some games treat women. A 2012 peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence found that video games that sexually objectify women and feature violence against women led to a statistically significant increase in rape-supportive attitudes, which are attitudes that are hostile towards rape victims.Also Carole Lieberman, MD, a media psychiatrist, stated, "The more video games a person plays that have violent sexual content, the more likely one is to become desensitized to violent sexual acts and commit them."

As you can see, kids that are not the correct age should not play violent video games that may cause them to think or do things in a violent way, buse women or think of them in the wrong context. Please encourage media and parents parents to limit the use of violent video games. By eliminating violent video games, we can eliminate the violent crime that plagues our streets and our schools.

Thank you Mr./Mrs. President for giving your time to read my letter. I hope you will consider my suggestion.

Sincerely,

Cole B.